No alternative to GMA - Ramos

October 17, 2007  --  Got something to say?
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President Fidel V. RamosBy Lito Katigbak
WASHINGTON Former President Fidel Ramos has expressed tepid support for President Arroyo amid a bribery scandal involving the controversial ZTE broadband deal with China.
Ramos, who is in the United States to promote a book on his presidency, told reporters here Oct. 1 he continued to support Mrs. Arroyo simply because there was no alternative other than anarchy and he did not want the Filipino people to have to suffer through that.
Possible candidates to replace her, including Vice President Noli de Castro, did not have the support of the people or the gravitas to become president, said the former president, who is visiting several cities with large Filipino communities, including New York and San Francisco.
What about you? asked a reporter.
Who wants to go back to that pressure cooker called Malacanang for another six years? Not me,” he bellowed amid laughter.
Ramos said a categorical statement by the President that neither she nor anyone in her immediate family were involved in the controversial ZTE broadband deal would earn her some points but will not solve the problem” of corruption in the Philippines.
He said more thorough lifestyle checks to include the children of officials being investigated were needed to ensure no one escapes the anti-corruption net.
The former leader is promoting the book Democracy & Discipline: Fidel V. Ramos and his Philippine Presidency,” written by W. Scott Thompson and Federico Macaranas.
Hard copies of the book cost $25 each and more than 500 copies were snapped up when Ramos spoke at the Philippine consulate in New York last week, co-author Thompson said. (J. Katigbak)

Former President Fidel V. Ramos, signing books

By Joseph G. Lariosa
CHICAGO, Illinois When a president gets into trouble, it is his problem, former President Fidel V. Ramos said here Tuesday, Oct. 2, referring to his successor, former President Joseph E. Estrada, who was convicted of plunder last month.
Ramos agrees that the conviction of Mr. Estrada sends a message to everybody in the Philippines that no one is immune from conviction.
Nobody is above the law. But he urged Mr. Estrada to exhaust all available legal means before resorting to pardon. Although, the health of Mr. Estradas 102-year-old mother can factor into his decision, he said.
Kanya-kanyang problema yan. (The problem is to each his own.) Immunity ends at the end of your term (of office). In my case, I have appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in aid of legislation kuno (allegedly).” the 79-year-old Philippine leader said.

Pero ako naman ang ini-imbestigahan. Ang address ko ngayon ay Muntinlupa out. May mga Senador na gustong palitan ang address ko.
Gusto nila Muntinlupa in. Mahirap ang buhay namin. We are in double jeopardy/.” (Now, they are investigating me. My address is Muntinlupa out. Some senators want to change my address. They want it to be Muntinlupa in. Our lives are tough. We are in double jeopardy.)Ramos fumed.
In the case of First Gentleman Jose Miguel (Mike) Arroyo, the general-turned politician said, Mr. Arroyo should not go to the press to defend himself. Mr. Arroyo should go to the Senate where he was accused of threatening the son of Speaker Jose de Venecia, who claimed that the First Gentleman told him to back off from a multi-million dollar national broadband contract.
Mr. Ramos gave a piece of his mind when he made an hour-long stop over at Chicago, Illinois OHare International Airport as he came from Washington, D.C., where he launched his book, He is en-route to San Francisco , California , where he will also promote his book.
On hand to see him at the VIP Lounge were Midwest Philippine Consul General Blesila C. Cabrera, Consul Roberto Bernardo and Protocol Officer Jose Mamalateo and this reporter. Mr. Ramos also donated to the Consulate some books that he wrote, among them Bulletin of FVR Sermons,” a compilation of his Sunday column in the /Manila Bulletin/, a leading Philippine daily newspaper; Responsible Governance; and In a Class of Her Own; The Life and Times of Angela Valdez Ramos” written by Bulletin correspondent Melandrew T. Velasco.
He was accompanied in the stopover by Corazon Tecson Jimenez and Monique Avila, associate director and research assistant of Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center, respectively; and Mae Gaffud and Celeste Dimaculangan, both of RP Development Foundation, Inc.
He described his book-launching as a success saying the 500 books that he took with him were all sold out. The hardbound costs $25 while the paperback fetches $15 per copy. Orders may be placed by sending email to cjimenez@aim.edu or coratecjimenez@yahoo.com.ph.*
Mr. Ramos said the authors of Democracy & Discipline have concluded that based on the comparative analyses of governance from Marcos to Estrada Administrations and up to the early stage of the Arroyo government, Filipinos can have both discipline and democracy” to succeed. One cannot cancel the other. One should reinforce the other.
Unlike the thinking of other leaders in Southeast Asia , there should be democracy first, discipline later. Or discipline first, democracy later.” The lightning visit of Mr. Ramos to Chicagoland is some sort of a brief homecoming for him.
Mr. Ramos spent two years to complete his masters in Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champagne in 1951 before returning to the Philippines after graduating from U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York.

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Comments

2 Responses to “No alternative to GMA - Ramos”

  1. Raymond C on October 17th, 2007 1:24 pm

    Well said FVR. General Fidel Ramos is truly a great leader. I was in the Philippines during his presidency and I can truly tell that the Philippines economic growth at that time was really amazing.

  2. Dave on November 4th, 2007 1:51 am

    Is this a spin for FVR? Well, what’s there to spin. He is off the hook.

    Anyone has balls to pursue FVR on these cases? Read this
    http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2002/2921philippines.html

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